Electrical connector



July 5, 1966 E- D' WNKLER 3,259,870

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed March 6, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVE NTOR.

Edu/aro D Wink/@r BY www@ ,lTTOR/VEY July 5 1966 E. D. WINKLERELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6. 1963 wdr...

ATTORNEY United States Patent Office l 3,259,870 Patented July 5, 19663,259,870 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Edward D. Winkler, Reading, Mass.,assignor to Albert 8l J. M. Anderson Manufacturing Company, Boston,Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Mar. 6, 1963, Ser. No.263,320 6 Claims. (Cl. 339-49) This invention relates to an electricalconnector and ymore particularly to an electrical connector adapted forassembly with like connectors to provide a bank thereof.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improvedelectrical connector of the ycharacter specied having novel provisionfor assembly one with another to form a bank of connectors in a simpleand eflicient manner.

The invention has for another object to provide a novel and improvedconnector of the character specified having novel provision for modularassembly side by side and 4one on top of the other to form a bank ofconnectors FIG. 1 is a plan view detail of an electrical connectorinsulating housing embodying the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are end views of the same as seen from the left and righthand ends, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a Vcross sectional view lof a pair of identical single poleconnectors joined together;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional detail view of the insulating housing;

FIG. 6 is a plan View of a plurality of connectors as- 1 sembled to forma bank thereof adapted for engagement with the connectors of a secondand similar bank;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the same; and FIG. 8 is an end view ofthe bank of connectors shown in FIG. 7.v

In general, the present invention contemplates an improvement in theelectrical `connector illustrated and described in my United StatesPatent No. 2,838,739 issued June 10, 1958. Such prior connectors -areprovided with an insulating housing. which carries a rigid terminalmember and which is adapted for longitudinal telescoping engagement witha second and identical connector. The insulating housing surrounds andencloses the terminal members for maximum insulating protection, andeach ,teuminal member is movably and yieldably mounted in the housing ina manner such that the terminal members l are resiliently interlocked intheir engaged position so as to provide an efcient electrical connectionand so as to p prevent inadvertent disengagement thereof during normalusage. y

In accordance with the present invention provision is made forassembling the individual connectors side by side and one on top of theother to form a bank of a plurality of connectors for engagement withthe connectors of a second and similar bank thereof. Provision is alsomade for locking the connectors in their -assembled -relation in thebank in a simple and convenient manner whereby to prevent inadvertentdisplacement thereof lone with another.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 5, thepresent Iinvention is illustrated as embodied in an improved structureof connector of the type shown in my United States Patent No. 2,838,739.The

novel features of the illustrated connect-or, except as to the features-herein claimed, form the subject matter of application Serial No.263,000 filed March 6, 1963. Hen-ce, it will be understood that thenovel features of the herein-claimed invention may be embodied in othertypes of electrical connectors, the illustrated connector being usedmerely as an example of the type of connector in which the presentinvention may be embodied with advantage.

In general, the illustrated electrical connector comprises an elongatedhollow one piece molded insulating housing 14 generally rectangular incross sectional outline and adapted for telescopic engagement with asecond and identical connector. Each connector is provided with a rigidterminal member 22 mounted in detached relation to the walls thereof.The contact end of each terminal member 22 is provided with a rounded orconvex end portion projecting from one surface thereof for interlockingcooperation with -the rounded end portion of the terminal member of asecond connector, as illustrated in FIG. 4. A leaf spring 28 carried bythe housing 14 is prestressed to resiliently -bear against the oppositeface of the forward end of the terminal member to maintain the terminalmembers of two engaged connectors in rm electrical contact. The free endof the leaf spring 28 is also arranged to engage a notch 26 formed inthe contact end of the terminal member. When the rigid terminal memberis inserted into the housing the free end of the leaf spring will snapinto the notch so as to prevent withdrawal of the terminal member fromthe housing. Each terminal member is further provided with a cylindricalend portion 20 bored to receive the end of an electric cable 18 and intowhich the latter may be soldered.

In accordance with th-e present invention the elongated andsubstantially rectangular housing is constructed in a manner such as topermit the individual connectors to be assembled side by side and one ontop of the other to form a modular assembly or bank of -a plurality ofconnectors as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. As herein illustrated, oppositesides of each elongated housing 14 are provi-ded with longitudinallyextended dovetail tongues 66 and correspondingly shaped grooves 68,respectively, whereby one connector may be interlockingly engaged withanother connector by inserting the tongue 66 of one connector into thegroove 68 of a second connector and slidingly seating the tongue in thegroove to present the ends of the housings in flush relationship. Theelongated tongues 66 and the correspondingly shaped grooves 68 areformed at the cable end of 4the housing and terminate in rounded endportions 70, 72, respectively, at a point substantially medially oftheends of the housing as shown. The cable end of the groove 68 is open,and the rounded end portion 72 comprises the closed end thereof againstwhich the rounded end 70 of the tongue 66 of a second connector isseated when assembled. The tongues and grooves are of equal length sothat when assembled the ends of the assembled connectors will be inlalignment as shown. With this construction it will 'be seen that anynumber of individual connectors 14 may be connected together side -byside to form horizontal rows, or one upon the other to form verticalrows of connectors for cooperation with connectors similarlyl assembledin rows or tiers. Likewise, the connectors may be assembled side by sideand one upon another to form a block or bank of connectors, as shown inFIG. 7, adapted for engagement with the connectors of a similar bankthereof to effect closing of a multiplicity of circuits simultaneously.Since all of the connectors are of a standard and uniform size and shapeto form modular units, they may be used with advantage to produce amodular assembly of any number of connectors for cooperation with asimilar assembly.

Provision is also made for locking the connectors or modular unitstogether in their assembled relation in a manner such as to preventlongitudinal displacement one with another of the connectors in a bankof assembled connectors. As illustrated herein, each connector isprovided with semicircular recesses 74, 76 on two opposite sides thereofso that when a group of connectors are assembled in rows or tiers toform a bank the semicircular portions 74, 76 are aligned to formcircular openings through which rods 78 may `be extended. The rods 78may be frictionally retained in the openings or otherwise secured. Asthus assembled, it will be seen that the rods prevent longitudinaldisplacement of the connectors one with another in a simple and elcientmanner.

The forward end of each housing is provided with forwardly extendedupper and lower portions 54, 56, respectively, the lower portion 56comprising a forwardly extended terminal receiving pocket substantiallyU-shaped in cross section and closed at its forward end Iby an end wall58. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the terminal receiving pocket issubstantially coextensive with the inner walls of the cable opening andis preferably tapered towards its forward end. As illustrated, theexterior walls of the pocket are recessed or offset from the main bodyportion providing shouldered portions 60. In practice the contacting endof the terminal is inserted through the cable end of the housing topresent the convex contacting portion 24 into the pocket, and during theinserting operation the end of the terminal member engages and pressesdownwardly against the upwardly inclined portion of the leaf spring 28,and when the forward end of the terminal member passes beyond the freeend of the leaf spring the spring will snap upwardly into the notch 26to prevent withdrawal of the terminal member. The forwardly extendedupper portion 54 of the insulating housing is coextensive with the bodyportion and shaped to provide an inverted U-shaped socket 62 open at itsouter end and closed at its inner end by a transversely extended wallportion 64. The socket forming extension 54 extends over the terminalreceiving pocket 56 and is of a size and shape such as to snugly receivethe pocket 56 of a second and identical connector, as shown in FIG. 4,the outer end of the socket forming extension of one connector engagingthe shouldered portions 60 of the second connector when the c-onnectorsare fully engaged. Also, when thus engaged, the closed end wall 58 ofthe pocket 56 of one connector engages with the transversely extendedinner wall 64 of the socket of the second connector.

With this construction it will be seen that when two identicalconnectors are engaged by extending the pocket of one connector into thesocket of a second connector, the rounded contacting faces 24 of eachspring pressed terminal are slidingly engaged by each other, initialinward movement of the connectors effecting downward m-ovement of theterminals in their respective pockets against the leaf springs 28. Uponcontinued inward movement the high points of the curved portions pass'by each other, and as the connectors approach full engagement thesprings 28 eiect upward movement of the terminals in their pockets topresent the curved portions 24 in hooked or interlocking relation toeach other as illustrated. It will thus be seen that a bank ofindividual connectors, as shown in FIG. 7, may be te-lescopicallyengaged with the individual connectors of a second and similar bank.

From the above description it will be seen that the present inventionprovides a novel and improved structure of electrical connector formingmodular units adapted for convenient assembly with like connectors toproduce a -bank there-of and arranged to be engaged with like connectorsof a similar -bank in a simple and expedient manner.

. While the preferred embodiment of the invention yhas -been hereinillustrated and described, it will be underd stood that the inventionmay be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

ll. An electrical connector comprising an insulating housing having aterminal member mounted therein and adapted for electrical engagementwith a second connector, opposite sides of said housing being providedwith tongues and grooves, respectively, adapted for mating engagementwith the tongues and grooves of like connectors to produce an assemblyof connectors adapted for electrical engagement with the connectors of asecond and similar assembly, said tongues and grooves being arranged topermit assembly side by side and one on top of the other t-o provide abank of connectors having vertical and horizontal r-ows, and meansextending 'between cutouts in adjacent connectors for locking theconnectors in their assembled relation.

2. An electrical connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the housingsare of uniform size and shape to provide modular units to produce a bankof connectors adapted for electrical engagement with the connectors of asimilar bank. t

3. An electrical connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the individualconnectors of an assembly are identical in structure and are adapted fortelescopic electrical engagement with the individual identicalconnectors of a second assembly.

4. An electrical connector as defined in claim 1 wherein theinterlocking tongues and grooves are of equal length, said grooves beingclosed at one end for seating engagement with the corresponding end ofthe tongue of a second connector to align the ends of adjacentconnectors in flush relation.

5. An electrical connector comprising an elongated insulating housinghaving a terminal mem-ber mounted therein and adapted for engagementwith a second connector, opposite sides of said housing havinglongitudinally extended tongues and grooves, respectively, adapted forinterlocking mating engagement with the tongues and grooves of likeconnectors to produce an assembly of connectors adapted for electricalengagement with the connectors of a second and similar assembly, saidlongitudinally extended interlocking tongues and grooves being slidinglyengaged with the corresponding tongues and grooves of adjacentconnectors in an assembly, and means for locking the connectors in theirassembled relation to prevent longitudinal displacement of the assembledconnectors relative to each other, said locking means comprising meansextended through transverse openings formed by adjacent connectors.

6. An electrical connector comprising an elongated molded one pieceinsulating housing substantially rectangular in cross section and havingterminal members mounted therein adapted for telescopic electricalengagement with a sec-ond and identical connector, said housing having acable end and a contact end, opposite sides of said housingbeingprovided with molded longitudinally extended and dovetail shaped tonguesand grooves, respectively, of equal length extending from the cable endand terminating at a point medially of the ends of the housing, saidgrooves being open at the cable end and cl-osed at their inner ends,said tongues and grooves being slidingly and interlockingly engagea'blewith corresponding tongues and grooves of adjacent connectors to presentthe ends of the assembled connectors in flush alignment whereby topr-oduce a bank of individual connectors assembled side by side and oneupon another, said housings having transversely extended moldedsemicircular cutouts in the upper and lower sides thereof to formtransversely extended circular openings in the assembled bank, and rodsextending through said openings to prevent longitudinal displacement ofthe connectors relative to each other, said bank of identical connectorsbeing adapted 5 for telescopic electrical engagement with the connectors3,042,895 of a second and identical bank. 3,090,027 3,091,746 ReferencesCited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 1,077,737

848,505 3/1907 Steinberger 339-198 2,838,739 6/1958 Winkler 339-472,903,671 9/1959 Dreher et al. 339-198 6 7/1962 Bonhomme 339-176 5/1963Phillips et al. 339-31 5/ 1963 Winkler 339-47 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/ 1960Germany.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

W. DONALD MILLER, Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR COMPRISING AN INSULATING HOUSING HAVING ATERMINAL MEMBER MOUNTED THEREIN AND ADAPTED FOR ELECTRICAL ENGAGEMENTWITH A SECOND CONNECTOR, OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID HOUSING BEING PROVIDEDWITH TONGUES AND GROOVES, RESPECTIVELY, ADAPTED FOR MATING ENGAGEMENTWITH THE TONGUES AND GROOVES OF LIKE CONNECTORS TO PRODUCE AN ASSEMBLYOF CONNECTORS ADAPTED FOR ELECTRICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONNECTORS OF ASECOND AND SIMILAR ASSEMBLY, SAID TONGUES AND GROOVES BEING ARRANGED TOPERMIT ASSEMBLY SIDE BY SIDE AND ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER TO PROVIDE ABANK OF CONNECTORS HAVING VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL ROWS, AND MEANSEXTENDING BETWEEN CUTOUTS IN ADJACENT CONNECTORS FOR LOCKING THECONNECTORS IN THEIR ASSEMBLED RELATION.